Combined clock and electric switch.



R. McKNIGHT & J. W. BERRY.

COMBINED CLOCK AND ELECTRIC SWITCH.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 9. I917.

1,239,5 0 2, Patented Dec. 31,1918.-

UNITED STATES. PATEN OFFICE.

ROBERT MQKNIGHT, or sARNIA, ONTAR O, CANADA, AND JAMES w. BERRY, or MARINE CITY, MICHIGAN.

COMBINED CLOCK AND ELECTRIC- SWITCH.

To all whom it may concern: Be it known that we, Bonner MCKNIGHT, a British subject, residing at Sarnia, Lambton county, Ontario, Canada, and JAMES W. BERRY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Marine City, countyof St. Clair, State of Michigan, have invented acertain new and useful Improvement in Combined Clock and Electric Switch, and declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it pertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings,'which form a part of this specification.

Our invention relates to a combined clock and electric switch for use on motor driven vehicles to automatically turn on the front .and rear lights of the vehicle at a predetermlned hour.

It is well known that the ordinances of many cities require that the signal lamps of all motor vehicles shall be lighted at a certain hour in the evening, but frequently the owner of a vehicle having parked his car earlier in the day neglects this requirement changes may be made in the precise embodiand thereby inadvertently makes himself liable to a fine.

One of the objects. therefore of this in-. vention is to provide a device which is inexpensive in construction and effective in operation and which may be set to autoniatically turn on the signal lights of a ve-' hicle at any required hour, or which may be manually operated tmswitch on or 01f the li hts as required. w

ith the foregoing and other objects in view which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention resides in the combination and arrangement of parts and in the details of construction hereinafter described and claimed, it being understood that ment herein disclosed without departing from the spirit of our invention.

-Inv the accompanying drawings forming part of this specification Figure 1, is a front elevation of the clock with a portion of the dial and frame broken awayto show the switch beneath.

Fig. 2, is a cross sectional view through the device and indicating a. fragment of the dial in elevation.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Dec, 31,1918. Application filed May 9, 1917. Serial No. 167,395.

Fig. 3, is an elevation with parts broken away and in section as viewed from the side op osite that shown in Fig. 2.

1g. 4, is a detail sectional view of the switch taken on line 4-'4 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5, 1s a detail cross-sectional view through the friction disk and ,coijperating gearstaken on line '55 of Fig. 3.

Referring now to the letters of reference placed upon the drawin A, denotes the 0100 frame. B, indicates the clock dial. 0, the hoiir hand, and D, the minute hand actuated bya clock mechanism E, of the usllal form of construction;-it therefore requires no special description or detailed drawings as it forms no part of the invention. Y i

F, indicates one member of a knife switch attached by a screw F, (forming one of the switch terminals) to,the insulating plate G,

secured to the clock frame. H, denotesa a complete revolution every twenty-four hours. The gear J, is supported by a stub shaft J, projecting from the clock frame.

J is a thimble sleeved upon the shaft J, on

which the gear J, is mounted. K is a friction disk also mounted on the thimble J I lodged in a countersunk portion of the gear J, 'andcarrying a stud K, the purpose of which will be hereafter explained. J, .is a u flange projecting from the thimble soldered to the disk K, and J, is'a washer spaced from the flange to receive between it" and the flange the disk K, and gear J, that the latter may be held inafrictional driving relation with each'other;but while the disk .is' thus caused to rotate with thev gear it may be manually adjusted with reference thereto by the appllcation of a key (not shown) to the squared end of the thimble J, when 1t is desired to alter the relative operation of the parts, or to operate the disk independently of the gear.

L, is an L-shaped swinging arm or member pivoted at L, to the clock frame, adapted to be tripped by the stud K, projecting from the disk K, upon the rotation of the latter. The L-shaped member L is pivoted intermediate of its ends to form a relatively short element and an L-sha-ped arm and the said short arm is arranged to cooperate with the 7 operating portion of the movable member of the switch.

The movable member of the switch is pivoted intermediate of its ends to provide the operating arm or portion and a switch arm to coact with the relatively fixed member of the switch. L is a pin projecting from the end of the arm L, to receive the thrust of the push button M, supported in the wall of the clock frame. L is a spring bearing upon the end of the arm L, to return the latter to its initial position when tripped through the rotation of the stud K, carried; by the disk K. l is a slot through which the end of the pin L projects serving to limit the movement of the germ L M, is a push button adapted to bear against the stud H of the switch arm H. AP, is a spring in each of the push button housings to return the push button to its initial position when released.

Having indicated the several parts by reference letters the construction and operation of the device will be readily understood.

F or the purpose of this description it will be assumed that the clock has been set to switch on the lights (not shown) at about 4.55 and on reference to Fig. 1 of the drawings it will'be-noted that the stud K carried by the disk K, which. rotates in the -direction indicated by the arrow, has released the L-shaped swinging arm carrying the stud H forcing back the switch arm H,

against the action of its controlling-spring until engaged by the pin If, of the'arm L, as shown in Fig. .2, thereby cutting out the lights and putting-the device in condition to be again automatically'operated on the following evening at the predetermined hour. If desired the lights may be switched on before the hour set for the automatic operation of the switch, by releasing the-switch arm'H, through the operation of the push button M:-its inner tapering endserving to crowd over the pin L carried by the arm L, thus releasing the switch arm H, held open by said pin against the action of the controlling spring H To change the hour by which the switch may be automatically operated, the hour hand of the clock is turned in the usual manner to the hour itmay be desiredto switch on the lights the friction disk K, is then rotated by means of a suitable key inserted over the squared end of the thimble J until the stud K, (the position of the latter being indicated byvthe index mark K is in position to trip the arm L, as shown in Fig. 2, of the drawings. I

The hour hand is then set to the time of the day and when through the operation of the clock mechanism it arrives at the predetermined hour for the release of the switch arm the latter will be actuated and the lights turned on in the manner before described.

Having thus described our invention what we claim is 1. A device of the class described, including two switch terminals electrically insulated from each other, a relatively fixed switch member mounted on one of the terminals, a movable switch member pivoted in termediate of its ends by the other terminal and coacting with the relatively fixed member to close the switch, a spring connected with the movable switch member for urging the same to its closed position, said movable switch member having an operating portion, a substantially lL-shaped member pivoted intermediate of its ends and having an i..- shaped arm and a relatively short arm provided with means for engaging the operating portion of the movableswitch member forholding the switch open and a gear designed to be arranged in mesh with the train of gearing of a clock mechanism and provided with means for engaging the L-shaped arm of the said L-shaped member to move the same out of engagement with the operating portion of the switch to permit the spring to close the said switch.

2. A device of the class described including a casing, two switch terminals electrically insulated from each other, a relatively fixed switch member mounted on one of the terminals, a movable switch member pivoted by the other terminal and coacting with the said fixed member to close the switch, a spring connected with the movable switch member for urging the same to its closed position, a substantially L-shaped member pivoted intermediate of its ends and having a relatively short arm provided with means for engaging'the movable switch member against the action of the said spring, a gear designed to be arranged in mesh with the train of gearing of a clock mechanism and provided with means for engaging the L- for holding the same in its open position 'ranged to engage the movableswi-tch memshaped arm of the said L-shaped member shaped member to release the switch mem- 10 for releasing the movable switch member ber manually.

and spaced .push buttons mounted on the In testimony whereof, we sign this specificasing,- one of the pnsh buttons being arcation in the presence of two witnesses.

' ROBERT MGKNIGHT,

ber for openingthe switch and moving the JAMES W. BERRY. said switch member into engagement with Witnesses: the L-shaped member; and the other push J. T. FULLER,

' button being arranged 'to engage the L J. R. DQNQHUE- 

